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Two-run Sixth Lifts UCLA over Cats

TUCSON--No. 2 UCLA's Megan Langenfeld held Pac-10 batting leader Arizona in check with four-hit pitching and the Bruins finally cashed in on their base runners in the sixth to lift themselves to a 2-1 victory over 10th-ranked Arizona Friday night.

Arizona (36-10) stayed in first place at 8-3 in league play, but the Bruins (33-8) pulled to within half a game at 8-4. The victory also gave UCLA 14 in its last 16 games against the Wildcats.

UA hitters, leading the nation with 106 home runs, only had the one deep ball off Langenfeld's stuff. She struck out eight and walked one in improving to 9-0 on the year.

UCLA got its leadoff batter, Katie Schroeder to third base after she opened the game with a single, but the Cats got out of the inning without any damage. Arizona got a leadoff single by Lastrapes in the UA first, but she languished there while UCLA's Megan Langenfled struck out the heart of UA's lineup in order.

Julie Burney doubled with two outs in the second to put another Bruin in scoring position. After UA's Sarah Akamine walked Dani Yudin, she struck out Monica Harrison to end the threat. The Cats also stranded another after Koria singled in the bottom of the inning.

Langenfeld hit a two-out single in the Bruins' third, and reached third when shortstop K'Lee Arredondo threw wide trying to get a force on Amanda Kamekona's infield single. But Akamine got GiOnna DiSalvatore to ground to second and strand two.

Karissa Buchanan caught a gap shot in right field on the run off the bat of Harrison to start the UCLA fifth with a defensive gem, but Schroeder beat out a bunt single to give the Bruins a fifth base runner. Arredondo misplayed Andrea Harrison's grounder to put two aboard. Akamine got a ground out from Langenfeld, moving the runners up. Akamine again got a grounder to second to end the threat.

The Bruins got on the board in the sixth. DiSalvatore led off the UCLA sixth with a double to deep center, and Kaila Shull beat out an infield sac attempt that first baseman Laine Roth let go untouched thinking it would go foul, sending DiSalvatore to third. Burney grounded back to Akamine for the first out, and then Dani Yudin hit a two-run single. She was thrown out trying to advance on the throw to the plate, making Harrison's subsequent single to left less damaging.

But it did chase Akamine (16-5) in favor of reliever Jennifer Martinez, who retired Schroeder for the final out. Akamine gave up nine hits and struck out two

Lastrapes led off the UA sixth with her shot to left-center, her 14th of the year, and two outs later Stacie Chambers drew a walk to put the tying run aboard. Langenfeld got Roth to foul out to the catcher for the third out.

Koria took Langenfeld 10 pitches deep into her leadoff at-bat in the UA seventh, but struck out swinging on the last one. Langenfeld got Kristen Arriola to line to left, but Lauren Schutzler beat out an infield single to bring up pinch-hitter Victoria Kemp. Kemp grounded back to Langenfeld for the final out.